Illegal gun seller gets six years

Daniel Tepfer

Published 6:01 pm, Friday, October 5, 2012

BRIDGEPORT -- A 21-year-old city man, who police said illegally sold numerous guns in the city, including one that was used in the shooting of teenagers in an East Side park, was sentenced Friday to six years in prison.

But Devlin retorted: "Gun violence is probably the major problem in this city and criminals use the gun you sold to do robberies and worse." On the multiple counts of illegally transferring a firearm the judge sentenced Burke to 15 years, suspended after he serves six years and followed by five years probation.

Senior Assistant State's Attorney Pamela Esposito said one of the guns Burke sold on the city streets was used in the July 2011 shooting spree in Washington Park that left one teen dead and three others wounded.

According to police, last years a task force of agents of the U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and local police were contacted by an informant who told them that Burke was dealing guns. Police said the informant told them that Burke had been bragging that he had a supplier who could get him as many guns as he wanted.

The task force subsequently used the informant to purchase nine guns from Burke including a Chinese-made assault rifle, police said. None of the guns had been previously reported stolen in the state. When the informant asked Burke where he got the guns from police said Burke told him he got them from a supplier "down south."